Breaking News: Panini America Delivers the World-Premiere Reveal of Panini HRX

In a year for Panini America that has included one high-impact, headline-making announcement after another, it is perhaps three little letters — HRX — that have packed the most punch.

Indeed, among the myriad moves the company has made in recent months to forever alter the sports collectibles landscape (entering the NHL, signing both Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin to exclusive agreements, developing the industry’s first-ever real gold trading cards), none have generated more excitement than the mere idea of Panini HRX, the pioneering, first-of-its-kind video trading card.

That idea became reality earlier this week with the launch of 2010-11 Totally Certified Basketball. The industry-wide buzz hasn’t stopped since.

In all, there are 204 Panini HRX video trading cards tucked randomly inside Totally Certified, 51 devoted to each of Panini America’s four basketball exclusives — Kobe Bryant, Griffin, Durant and John Wall. Of each player’s 51 cards, 40 are standard video trading cards, 10 are autographed and one is an autographed gold video trading card.

Early secondary market activity on the few cards that have surfaced so far has been absolutely riveting. The first Kobe Bryant autographed HRX card sold for $1,000. The first Blake Griffin closed at $862.50 just this morning. The first Kevin Durant autographed version brought more than $500 and a Griffin unsigned copy generated $400.

But the real newsmaker so far, the Bryant Autographed Gold 1/1, was pulled late last night and is currently listed on eBay with an astounding Buy It Now price of $8,750.

Wow.

Of course, new cards are being pulled and added to the secondary market seemingly as we speak. And to think, all of this bidding activity for cards that have yet to be seen by the public eye. Indeed, due to the highly sophisticated nature of the groundbreaking Panini HRX technology, the cards were inserted into Totally Certified as redemptions. The cards themselves are locked safely inside a vault at Panini America headquarters waiting to be delivered.

Today, in the gallery below, The Knight’s Lance provides the first public glimpses of these history-making cards. Stay tuned next week for more exclusive reveals, including additional autographed and autographed gold versions as well as exclusive first looks at the video available on these cards.

Until then, enjoy the images below. And after your mind is sufficiently blown, access more coverage of Panini HRX here, here, here and here.